Tennis-racket and the like.



S. G. LEWSA TENNIS BASKET AND THE LIKE. APPLxcATloH man Homzo, me.

3. .27 9 l 9 g Yutented Sept. 24, MS.

WITNESSES UNITED s'ra'r TENNIS-Backer AND @En LIKE.

specification of Letters Patent. rammed Sept, 24, 1918 Application ledNovember 20, 1916. Serial No. 132,270..

To all 'whom it may concern: ff l Be it known that I, Sarmoatiq, Lewis,residing at Greensburg, inthe county' lofjVJ/'estmoreland and State ofPennsylvania, a citizen of the United States, Vhave invented ordiscovered certain new and useful Improve' mentsgin Tennis-Rackets andthe like, of which improvementsthe followingis a'sp'eciication. Myinvention consists in a new articlepf manufacture: Stringing forrackets' andlile articles, made essentially of wire and coated withrubber. ,f "l, Piano wire consists of a strand of wirel gut, or iber-(ordinarily silk) forming a core or heart, surrounded and incased in ahelical wrapping of {ine wire (ordinarily steel wire). This article isused not only, as its name im orts, in the stringing ofpianos'; it isuse instringing variouspvmusical in-A struments: violins, forexamplefanfd guitars.

The addition to such a wire of arubber coating must-have the effect,sofQfar/as concerns use in musical,instrunientsyfof modifying the toneanddamp'ening vibration; but it is with new uses of the article,modified in structure in the manner indicated, that I am chieflyconcerned. I have found that piano wire coated with rubber is useful asmaterial for Stringing tennis racket-s, la* crosse sticks, snow shoes,and such like articles; and manifestly being useful in suchapplications, it has the advantage of greater durability over the catgutcommonly used for this purpose.

I prefer to employ piano wire, that is to say wire built up of a centralbody of wire or 'of fibrous material and a closely wrapped helix of Enewire, but, manifestly, plain wire or a compound braided or stranded wiremay be coated with rubber, and when coated may be rendered serviceable(as bare wire is not) for uses such as those indicated.

The rubber coating 'which characterizes my invention may be applied tothe wire in the form of thin sheets or strips wrapped either upon thecomponent strands individu-- ally before braiding twisting or wrappingor upon the assembled andV otherwise completed article; or it may, andpreferably wil, be applied by causing the wire (either the strand or theotherwise completed article) to pass through a liquid solution ofrubber. The solvent for the rubber in such case will be such as desiredbisuliite of carbon, chloroform, ether, naphtha, or another solvent. Thestrength of the solution and its fluidity or viscosity will be. adaptedto afford a coating of desired thickness upon the wire advancing throughit. As the coated wire passes from the bath, it may pass between wipingand spreading instrulnentalities such as desired-between rolls, forexample, or through a die-block.' The article will, after being coatedprefer:v bly be supported and disposed in such position and arrangementand subjected to such conditions as to allow the rubber of the coatingto become aircured. Anch it will be understood that, aircuring being incontemplation, the initial rubber preparation in solution (or in sheetform) will be compounded with that end in view. If it be a single strandthat has been coated, the coated strand may be used as it erationsfamiliar in the making of composite wire.

My invention is illustrated in -the accompanying drawings, in whichFigures 1 and 2 show two forms of coatedV wire and Fig. 3 shows a faceview of a tennis racket equipped with `my improved Stringing.

In Fig. l, there is shown a piano wire, comprising as explained above, acore l and a wrapped-on helix of flexible wire 2. In this instance therubber-coating is in the form of thin sheets vor strips 3, wrapped uponthe wire helix 2;

In. Fig, 2, there is also shown a piano wire, comprising a core l and awrapped-on helix of wire 2. In this form of Stringing the rubber4coating Il illustrates such coating as results from passing the pianowire through av a frame strung with an interwoven Stringing 1n testimonyVwhereof I have heronnto 'set l gnsisting'of a fiexible wire coated withrubmy hand.

2. A' tennis racket or the like comprising 5 a frame strung withv aninterwoven Stringing i'tnessres:v

' consisting of a o're, a Wrapped-on helix of MAILER B. Toom, wire and'a coating of rubber. Gr. W. DUNN.

SEN'EQA G.LEW1S.

